A new Pew Research Center study asked U.S. respondents to share their opinions on what they value in a journalist and what content and media platforms they most consider “journalism.” The report found that while people generally know what they want from journalists, they have mixed feelings about who actually does journalistic work.
More than half of survey participants (59%) said someone who conducts their own reporting on current events is a journalist, while 22% said such a person is not. Almost one-fifth (19%) were unsure.
Only 36% said someone who compiles and shares other people’s reporting on current events is a journalist. Forty percent said this is not journalism, while 23% were unsure.
Fewer respondents (28%) said someone who primarily offers opinion or commentary on current events is a journalist, with a more decisive 51% saying they are not. Twenty-one percent were unsure.
People who write for newspapers or news websites are most likely to be considered journalists, with 79% of respondents ascribing that label to those professionals. Nearly two-thirds (65%) said those who report on or host a television news show are journalists. Fewer than half considered journalists to include those reporting on or hosting a news podcast (46%), writing a newsletter about news (46%), or making social media videos and posts about the news (26%).
There was far more certainty in the characteristics people want in a journalist from whom they receive news. The three most sought-after traits, ranked by the percentage of respondents who said they are “important,” are honesty (93%), intelligence (89%) and authenticity (82%). Far fewer respondents viewed humor (35%), charisma (33%) or popularity (11%) as important.
More information on this Pew study, including a link to its methodology and topline results, can be found here.
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